Ellen Cushing
Ellen Cushing is a former staff writer at The Atlantic. In 2026, she won the Craig Claiborne Distinguished Criticism Award from the James Beard Foundation.
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The Extras Are Tired
People are getting more sick of influencers, even as the job becomes more important.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. When Did Sports Get So Loud?
Athletes have become influencers. In-game production has become “storytelling.” And everything has gotten very, very stimulating.
Michael Urakami / MLB Photos / Getty America’s Greatest Food Export
Ranch dressing has become, deservedly or not, a face of the nation during the World Cup.
Illustration by Akshita Chandra / The Atlantic. Source: Getty. Fruit Is Too Sweet
It’s like candy now—for better or for worse.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. The Latest Toys for Millennial-Parent Guilt
They can be high-tech but, crucially, are “screen-free.”
Illustration by Cécile Cuny The Olympics These Were Not
Athletes at the Enhanced Games were bigger—but not exactly better.
Maggie Shannon for The Atlantic The Protein Shortage Is Coming
Making all that whey is complicated.
llustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. The Rise of Emotional Surveillance
Companies are monitoring workers not just for productivity but for agreeability.
Illustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani / The Atlantic The Worst Airport in America
Traveling by plane anywhere is bad right now, but in some places, it’s worse.
Martin Parr / Magnum The Forgotten Female Pilots of World War II
The WASPs risked their lives flying for the Army. But for decades, the U.S. government refused to recognize their military service.
Courtesy of the Robinson/Cushing Family
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